Speaking Gracefully in a Graceless World
As we open to Titus 2, at this very moment, Satan is roaming the Earth trying to mess up God’s plan. His methods of attack are very focused, and are revealed in God's Word by his many names. Each of Satan’s well-known names describes a facet of his evil plan. He is called:
- Lucifer the Cherub who fell because he proudly wanted to share in God’s glory;
- Satan the constant Adversary of God’s plans and people;
- The Serpent from of Old who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden;
- The Dragon who relentless seeks to destroy Israel the Chosen People of God;
- The Deceiver who enslaves the minds and hearts of the whole world;
- The Murderer from the Beginning who came to kill, to steal, and destroy; and
- The Roaring Lion who seeks to devour the unsuspecting believer.
But today, as we gather in Christ's Church, the most unsuspecting and damaging of all his names, is also the method Satan brings perhaps greatest damage to Christ's church.
That other name of his is The Devil, diabolous or literally:
The Slandering Accuser
God's Word shows us how Satan accuses believers before God’s Throne in Job 1. Jesus stands at the Right Hand of the Father, and as our Great Intercessor and Advocate, defends us.
But sadly, Satan has enlisted many helpers, in his attack on Christ's Church. Almost all of them are unsuspecting of the terrible part they play in destroying the effectiveness of believers, church leaders, and entire churches.
In fact, after 30 plus years as a minister of God's Word I have never seen anything as deadly to the church as the Devil, the Slanderer, enlisting gossiping believers to become tools in his hands to slander other believers, tear down the Biblical leaders in Christ's church, and by their accusations, neutralize an entire local church. That danger is what leads us to Paul’s words in Titus 2:3.
Let’s read God’s amazing list of desires for all women, listen to His second expectation for the woman of grace who follows Christ:
Titus 2:3-5 “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things.” NKJV
Remember that God has shown us what spiritual maturity looks like; and His description is not vague. A godly, spiritually mature woman can be seen in the ways she corresponds to the clear expectations that God has told us are His desires for every woman.
These areas that a woman can choose to focus upon gradually shape her life into becoming more and more a: Godly Woman of Influence.
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